P.M. Imran Khan meets Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo courtesy PID
In statement, Moscow claims Khan is being ‘punished’ for refusing to cancel meeting with Vladimir Putin ahead of invasion of Ukraine
Russia on Tuesday voiced support for Imran Khan and accused the U.S. of “another attempt of shameless interference” in the internal affairs of Pakistan to punish Khan for not supporting the West’s position on Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, issued a statement from Moscow summarizing the developments in Pakistan since former deputy speaker Qasim Khan Suri dismissed a resolution seeking a vote of no-confidence against Khan by citing Article 5 (loyalty to the state) of the Constitution. The legality of the ruling is currently pending in the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
In her statement, Zakharova noted that President Arif Alvi had dissolved the National Assembly on April 3 on Imran Khan’s advice. “Immediately after the announcement of the working visit of Imran Khan to Moscow on Feb. 23-24 this year, the Americans and their Western associates began to exert rude pressure on the prime minister, demanding an ultimatum to cancel the trip,” she said.
“When he nevertheless came to us, [U.S. diplomat Donald Lu] called the Pakistani ambassador in Washington and demanded that the visit be immediately interrupted, which was also rejected,” she said. “According to the Pakistani media, on March 7 this year, in a conversation with Pakistani Ambassador Asad Majeed, a high-ranking American official (presumably Lu) sharply condemned the balanced reaction of the Pakistani leadership to the events in Ukraine and made it clear that partnerships with the United States are possible only if Imran Khan is removed from power,” she added.
The Russian spokesperson claimed that the “foreign conspiracy” alleged by Khan had left no doubt that the U.S. “decided to punish the ‘disobedient’ Imran Khan,” and cited the PTI’s narrative of the opposition securing the support of lawmakers from within the PTI after the no-trust resolution was submitted to Parliament. “This is another attempt of shameless U.S. interference in the internal affairs of an independent state for its own selfish purposes. The above facts eloquently testify to this,” she claimed.
“The [Pakistan] prime minister himself has repeatedly stated that the conspiracy against him was inspired and financed from abroad. We hope that Pakistani voters will be informed about these circumstances when they come to the elections, which should be held within 90 days after the dissolution of the National Assembly,” she said, seemingly voicing the same kind of “interference” that Khan and the PTI have alleged the U.S. was involved in.
The Russian foreign ministry’s statement follows Khan accusing U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Central and South Asia Donald Lu as the official who made “threatening remarks” against his regime in a so-called letter forwarded by Pakistani envoy Majeed. The PTI has since admitted that the “letter” is actually a diplomatic cable.
The U.S. State Department, and the White House, have in separate statements denied any role in the opposition’s no-confidence motion against Imran Khan. Spokespersons have maintained Washington supports the rule of law and democratic principles, adding that there is “absolutely no truth” to the allegations voiced by the PTI and Khan.